Not so long ago, Arizona was on its way to becoming a swing state. Now that seems like a distant memory.

On the eve of the 2008 presidential election, ebullient Democrats were convinced that the state would have been in play if it weren't home to Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. Some even thought they could steal it from under McCain's nose.

Text Size

-

+

reset

POLITICO 44

That didn't happen — McCain took 54 percent of the vote in his home state. But the surrounding Western swing states, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, all went for Obama. Arizona, Democrats were sure, was inevitably next.

Fast forward two years and things look substantially less rosy for Arizona Democrats.

The map of competitive states for 2012 is unknown at this point, but local and national observers say it's hard to imagine Arizona being a battleground in the next presidential contest after what happened in 2010.

Republicans won all eight 2010 statewide contests. Seven of them were not close. GOP gains in both houses of the state Legislature gave the party a two-thirds majority of both chambers. The new leader of the state Senate, Russell Pearce, is a firebrand conservative who has declared it a "Tea Party Senate."

"We're a one-pizza caucus," Democratic state Sen.-elect Kyrsten Sinema said ruefully of her party's nine-member contingent in the 30-seat upper chamber. "So the meetings are cheap."

The Democratic swoon in Arizona is partly a symptom of the national GOP wave that hit in the midterm elections. But there are local factors that make a Democratic resurgence in the Grand Canyon state unlikely in the near term.

The exit of Napolitano, a popular centrist two-term governor, blew a hole in the state's Democratic infrastructure. Napolitano "was the key Democrat in the state of Arizona," said Phoenix lobbyist Chris Herstam, a former Republican lawmaker and gubernatorial chief of staff. "When she departed in the middle of her gubernatorial term to join the Obama administration, a gigantic political vacuum was left, and it's never been filled."

But by far the most significant factor in Republicans' new dominance, according to Republicans and Democrats alike, is SB 1070.

The tough anti-illegal immigration law — authored by Pearce, a former chief deputy to Maricopa County's controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio — sparked a national uproar for enforcement provisions that critics said would lead to racial profiling of Hispanics. But polls show it to be popular with large majorities both locally and nationally.

The measure put Democrats in a bind. Their opposition to it was staunch and heartfelt, but they have found themselves trying to convince voters ever since that they're not soft on illegal immigration. Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva was pilloried for urging a national boycott of his own home state over the measure. And the lawsuit brought against the bill by the Justice Department did the party no favors with independent voters already souring on the Obama administration.

"There was a time, in May or so of last year, when our gubernatorial candidate was up in all the polls and Jan Brewer was running third in the Republican primary," recalled Don Bivens, chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party. "Then she signs SB 1070 and vaults so far to the front that other [GOP] candidates drop out, and our candidate is 20-plus points down. It was a game-changer in this election, and frankly I think it was intended to be a game-changer."

Senator Jesse Helms (Republican of North Carolina) led opposition to the bill and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. He also criticized King's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing "action-oriented Marxism".[7]

President Ronald Reagan was also at first opposed to the holiday, citing cost concerns.[7] He signed the measure only after Congress passed it with an overwhelming veto-proof majority (338 to 90 in the House of Representatives and 78 to 22 in the Senate).

Sen. John McCain (Republican of Arizona) voted against the creation of the holiday to honor King, and later defended Arizona Republican Governor Evan Mecham's rescission of the state holiday in honor of King created by his Democratic predecessor. After his opposition grew increasingly untenable, McCain reversed his position, and encouraged his home state of Arizona to recognize the holiday despite opposition from Mecham.[8]

Former Gov, Bruce Babbitt, a democrat, created the holiday by executive order just before he left office in 1986.But Mecham, armed with an attorney general's opinion that Babbitt's order was illegal, rescinded it days after he took office Mecham subsequently issued his own executive order, setting aside the third Sunday in January as an unpaid holiday to honor King, but it never was recognized by supporters of a paid holiday. Mecham was impeached and removed from office for unrelated actions in 1988.

In 1990, Arizonans were given the opportunity to vote to observe an MLK holiday. McCain successfully appealed to former President Ronald Reagan to support the holiday.[9] Prior to that date, New Hampshire and Arizona had not observed the day. Throughout the 1990s, this was heavily criticized. Following the failure of the 1990 proposition to recognize the holiday in Arizona, the National Football League moved Super Bowl XXVII from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

As did Michigan. We just kicked all the Democrats to the curb in November. Once you have a Democratic Governor and see how they operate in a recession, raising every tax and fee they can all for the "GREATER GOOD" you can't wait to get RID OF THEM. I think both Arizona and Michigan will now excell as we move forward.

The Democrats are killing themselves with the radical liberal elite vision of America. They will be marginalized to the left coast and urban ares where there are enough welfare bums to vote them into office. If, and a big if, the conservative Republicans can stay on target, Dems will be out of power until after the current financial crisis America has a short memory, and if and when good economic times return, Dems will make a comeback. America can only afford liberals when the economy is good.

Democrats haven't figured out a way to stick up for their Hispanic constituents while convincing the independents who make up nearly a third of the state's electorate that they, too, want to get tough on illegal immigration.

The reason they haven't figured out a way to do this is because they don't want to get tough on illegal immigration. They want to say they are tough on immigration. But they don't want to do anything tough.

That is why they lost last year, are losing this year and will lose in the future. There are none so unattractive as those who are ashamed of what animates them.

How ironic that the party that was lying to the public about Obama death panels related to healthcare have become a God unto themselves by giving a literal death sentence to those in need of lifesaving surgery. I suppose Arizona's rich elite need that tax cut more than someone needs that liver transplant or that little infant needs that heart surgery. Glad to see Brewer leading the charge to the bottom rung of humanity too as she is now the bonifide Wicked Witch of the West ! ( My apologies to the Wizard of Oz )

Payrolls Drop in 28 U.S. States, Joblessness Rises in 21 in Labor Setback

Payrolls decreased in 28 U.S. states and the unemployment rate climbed in 21, showing most parts of the world’s largest economy took part in the November labor- market setback.

North Carolina led the nation with 12,500 job cuts last month, followed by Massachusetts with 8,600 dismissals, and Ohio with 7,800, figures from the Labor Department showed today in Washington. Joblessness increased most in Georgia and Idaho, while workers in Nevada faced the highest rate in the country at 14.3 percent.

The leadership of the "latinos" have been conducting a stealth campaign of ethnic conquest for decades, to re-make the US into a latino-majority country. White (and some black) Americans are waking up.

We don't WANT our beautiful country to become part of latin America. But the la raza mafia doesn't give a rat's behind about whites, blacks, or anybody. Their motto is "por la raza, todo. Afuera da la raza, nada"

"For our race, everything. Outside of our race, nothing"

To hell with la raza. To hell with what "latinos" want. Who runs America? Americans, or illegal aliens?

The democrats take the side of the Mexicans and the illegal aliens. So, they lost the election. And people in states which have very little hispanic immigration are now beginning to see the ugly reality of open borders and uncontrolled immigration in their own cozy neighborhoods.

Arizona went republican because the democrats are the enemies of white America. Still today, 62% of the population are white people. If they wake up and realize that the democrats are their enemy, the dems party will be toast nationwide, not just in Arizona.

Wake up Americans! Call your senator and tell them to vote NO on the dream act amnesty.

Not only did AZ "kick" dems to the curb, they formed their own " death panels " too, as now they attempt to play God ! How ironic that these fear mongering phonies who went around during the campaign foaming at the mouth that Obamacare would have doctors pulling the plug on Grandma. Now that Brewer is getting her way, Arizona will be pulling the plugs on" grandchild." At least grandma got to live a full life but Brewer chooses to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Is this an example of that good ole compassionate conservatism the rethugs have touted for years now? "First , they came for the Poles and I said nothing, they then came for the Jews and still I was silent, they took away the sick and infirmed and I never raised my voice....now that they are coming for me, there is no one left to say anything" Yep Arizonan's did themselves proud!

How ironic that the party that was lying to the public about Obama death panels related to healthcare have become a God unto themselves by giving a literal death sentence to those in need of lifesaving surgery. I suppose Arizona's rich elite need that tax cut more than someone needs that liver transplant or that little infant needs that heart surgery. Glad to see Brewer leading the charge to the bottom rung of humanity too as she is now the bonifide Wicked Witch of the West ! ( My apologies to the Wizard of Oz )

It is a race to bottom but maybe that is what America wants unfortunately.

The problem with the Demos and Obama is that they support illegal aliens and want amnesty for illegal aliens. And each election they take into account illegal aliens. I have said many times, politicians must not take into account illegal aliens. And it is time we stop illegal immigration. The Demos do not want to enforce current immigration laws; the Demos do not support SB 1070 (that is why the Demos will not win in 2012 and that is why the Demos were voted out on 11/2/2010). But the Demos do not get it. Americans are sick and tired of the Demos who do not want to seal the border with Mexico. Why? Because they listen to La Raza and Mexico. And that is not acceptable. If the politicians, in particular, the Demos do not want to listen to Americans regarding illegal immigration, those politicians will be voted out. If those politicians want to continue listening to Mexico, La Raza and illegal aliens, lawbreakers, those politicians will be voted out just like we did on 11/2/2010. By the way, No Dream Act. Enforce the laws and illegal aliens will leave.

If you geniuses (on the left) think that this law was enacted for political reasons you need to realize that only the Democrats put their own political survival first. Arizona is being invaded and taken over by illegal aliens and the Feds do little to stop it so the state has to take matters into their own hands. What should happen is that someone should draw up articles of impeachment against the Commander in Chief Barack who sides with the illegal invaders instead of his own countrymen.

Slowly the scales are falling off the American voters eyes that the progressives are out to destroy the country and re-make it into a communist fiefdom. Too bad we have to suffer so much pain and agony just to be taught a very harsh lesson that this is the way of the 'Rat. Even the JournOlista' have seen their approval numbers cut and their credibility is probably lower than that of congress! 2012 should prove to be a lolapalooza...the malcontent Dem's will see more of their ranks kicked out of power. Reid will be so disliked and isolated he'll be forced to sit outside the senate on the sidewalk on a bucket. Pelosi will be gone forever from the House and Obama from the White House and we'll see America begin a rebirth in early 2013.